I am so afraid of losing a loved one. It seems lately every time I pick up a devotional of any sort it speaks of losing a loved one and being strong and trusting in the Lord, and things of that nature. It scares me every time, so I quickly close the book and walk away with my fear and plenty of denial in hand. I have been living in fear of this for quite some time now. But today I decided to face it. I can't live this way. And God surely does not desire for me to live this way.
God says to my heart that He is enough for me. But my flesh says back that, though I want Him to be enough, I'm not sure He is. Ouch. Doubt.
But the Truth: God IS enough. And we shall have no other gods before Him. (Exodus 20:3-5) Not even our family. Not our spouse. Not our kids. Not our job. Not our money. Nothing. I don't want to have to lose a loved one to believe this truth.
If I were to experience the death of a loved one, God would be enough for me. He would love on my hurting heart. He would wrap His arms around me through His people. He would provide for me. And He would remind me I have reason to live.
Living in fear of this, or of anything for that matter, will not prevent it from happening.
Just as being afraid of spiders won't prevent me from crossing paths with one, living in fear of death won't prevent it from happening. So rather than focusing on the fear, I focus on the God who is bigger than it. I must focus on His truth that tells me that I am not to be afraid of anything but to pray about all things. (Philippians 4:6-7) Truth tells me that God is near to the brokenhearted. (Psalm 34:18) Truth tells me to be strong and courageous and to not be afraid or discouraged. (Joshua 1:8-9) It tells me to not be afraid of sudden disaster. (Proverbs 3:25-26) Truth tells me a woman of God laughs without fear of the future. (Proverbs 31:25) And truth tells me that if my loved ones have accepted the grace of Jesus Christ, I will see them again in Heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 3:16)
Now that I have handed this fear over to God, I can move on without fear. God is enough for me, I just had to stop long enough to face the fear to be reminded. I am so thankful for Truth!
So whatever your fear is today, maybe today is the day you stop letting it chase you. Maybe today you can stop running, turn around, face it, and hand it over to God. You might have to do this over and over again. But eventually that fear will be fully replaced with Truth. Powerful, confident truth.
